A Study On Change Management Commerce Essay

A Study On Change Management Commerce Essay Tolerating change is viewed as the greatest distrustfulness in todays world. Associations †both business and non-business defy a difficult world. A portion of the difficulties that are looked by chiefs today incorporate rivalry from different firms, globalization, and innovative changes other than others. Let us consider a little model that can make way for talking about the impacts of progress. Day by day life in a cutting edge society resembles a daily schedule, where we get up in the mornings, eat, go for work, eat, return from work, have supper and afterward rest once more. It has become a planned life, or so to state, we fit in with structure in our lives. This structure gives us the essential security. In any case, if we somehow managed to live in a world loaded with tension and startling systems, it might leave us feeling uncomfortable and fearful. On the off chance that this is the state of people, a huge scope change in an association can unquestionably change its kin i nto uneasiness, irritation, disappointment, sorrow or even deadly episodes. To check this, associations practice what is to be alluded to as Change Management. Change Management is a procedure whereby, the individual, group or the association builds up an arranged methodology towards any kind of an adjustment. The goal is to underwrite the advantages for the individuals and diminish the danger of disappointment of usage. Change the board involves attentive arranging and delicate execution, and above all, interview with the individuals who will be associated with the procedure. This errand concentrates how associations have developed to acknowledge change. Yet, let us first gander at the drivers that influence hierarchical change: Ø Inadequate Financial Performance †the 2008 monetary lull can be very much cited for instance for this. Organizations neglecting to arrive at their budgetary benchmarks, need to experience change. Serious associations can tear apart their piece of the overall industry, gave they enter less expensive work or prevalent innovation. Inability to keep up the piece of the overall industry can compel organizations to reconsider their chance expense and furthermore the arrangement of assets. Ø Changes in Strategic destinations †numerous organizations move their concentration from being item headed to being client driven or even procedure driven. To empower this, rebuilding and re-direction of procedures, individuals are required of in the association. Ø New Technology †organizations that disregard the new patterns in the market are set to endure a difficulty, and, along these lines, ought to adjust to the adjustments in innovation. Ø Mergers and Acquisitions †when organizations blend and combine their activities, individuals and the way of life, re-designing happens. The smoothing out of the tasks, foundation and the structure of the two associations into one brought together subject is an immense piece of the change the executives procedure. These, could be characterized as the drivers of progress that develop organizations and markets. Associations, today, have figured out how to adjust to change. In this time of globalization, quick moving lives and business-focused associations, individuals and the procedures have acknowledged the change. For example, a ton of venture banks needed to experience change during the financial stoppage. Citigroup Inc. rebuilt its banks and different offshoots during the recessionary period, to adapt with the new condition. Furthermore, it happened. The administration needs to guarantee that a smooth move happens, and for this it receives various hierarchical speculations as a reason for successful change the executives. Some of them are recorded in the following barely any passages.

Discourse Analysis Essay -- Communication, Identity Work

Dissecting talk is frequently utilized by social researcher as an interpretive investigation of genuine circumstances, in light of its natural legitimacy (Byford, 2009, p. 198). An article, (which will be alluded to as content) taken from the Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council site (refered to in Open University, 2010, pp. 25-26), will be investigated in this article. Right off the bat, by building up a portion of the talks and afterward summing up territories of ‘identity work’, which is ‘the execution of character in (the subtleties of) talk, including how the speaker positions her or himself’ (Taylor, 2009, p. 186). ‘Discourse is a lot of thoughts that are shared by (a few) citizenry, makes character positions and gives a specific perspective on how the general public capacities and practices are emphatically or adversely valued’ (Taylor, 2009, p. 185). The perspectives and character places that individuals hold can be shaped from multiple points of view and urbanization is a genuine case of how esteems are associated among individuals and spot in the open country and in urban communities. Steve Hinchliffe (2009, p. 224) clarifies how individuals are lured by a ‘imaginary’ of provincial life and that people’s assessments of city life are regularly separated. They can relate higher wrongdoing, contamination and savagery, in urban areas, restricted to, moving slopes, clean air and a casual method of living in the open country. However, during urbanization, during the 1830s, many moved from rustic zones, to relocate to urban communities. Also, in spite of the fact t hat the appreciation for move to urban territories was perplexing, Hinchliffe (2009, p. 210) calls attention to, urban areas appeared to be alluring, they offered chances to procure a living compensation and increment flourishing regardless of whether it was for the most part through assembling. The content from Blaenau Gwent plays on the legend (talk) of the charming countryside,... ... to these realities. Right off the bat, it permits guests to get tied up with the country life as it states there are ‘a number of extraordinary spots to visit, remain and enjoy’ allowing the chance to showcase an individual personality and addition delight from the zone. Besides, the consistent utilization of descriptive words all through the content, assists with building a positive picture of the territory ‘impression management’ as Goffman recommends. Generally speaking, we can perceive how the content uses talks and the photo additionally affirms this, by indicating a provincial and picturesque perspective on the region. Personalities are mind boggling and are comprised of more than one thing at a given time, they are not fundamentally unrelated. The presentation of personality in the content is focused on the individuals who have constrained information on Blaenau Gwent. It is a ‘snap shot’ attempting to convince and persuade the peruser, which plans to draw in sightseers as opposed to just present the realities.

Child Soldiers in India - 2021 Words

The military use of young children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities (child soldiers), or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in propaganda. Throughout history and in many cultures, children have been extensively involved in military campaigns even when such practices were supposedly against cultural morals. Since the 1970s a number of international conventions have come into effect that try to limit the participation of children in armed conflicts, nevertheless the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers reports that the use of children in military forces, and†¦show more content†¦The National Cadet Corps recruited school and college students from the age of 13yrs to take part in military and other training on a voluntary basis. Although not obliged to sign up for military service, cadets who succeeded in passing exams were given concessions when applying to the army, navy or air force as well as auxiliary forces. Cadets were involved in relief operations in southern India following the 2004 Asian tsunami. * Child recruitment and deployment The lack of systematic birth registration, particularly in rural areas, made it difficult to verify ages, making it impossible to rule out the possibility that under-18s might participate actively in hostilities. There were active recruitment drives targeting â€Å"youths†, particularly in the Kashmir valley. * Detention of children There was evidence that in areas of armed conflict children accused of being members of armed groups were detained, often in violation of national legislation designed to protect children in conflict with the law. In Manipur it was alleged that the system established under the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 was non-functioning due to inadequate resources; in particular no juvenile home had been established. As a result, security forces (including police) who detained children in anti-insurgency operations were reportedly claiming that they were over 18 whenShow MoreRelatedChildren s Impact On Children Essay1472 Words   |  6 Pageschildren. Children in armed conflict one of such group in the society who is vulnerable and prone to many exploitation. The relationship of the child with war can be categorised into two. One is children are impacted by the war by losing their shelter, their identity their family and the rights. Second they are involved in the war in the form of child soldiers by force. When a war or conflict take place all the thing surrounded with the place where the conflict happened will be get disturbed all theRead MoreEssay about Child Labor: Nowhere Is Without1312 Words   |  6 Pagesthe age, whoever they are, they are working. The interpretation of the words, â€Å"Child Labor,† has changed vastly over the centuries ago it began. Furthermore, the use of child labor around the world has persisted and grown from the centuries ago it began. Regrettably, child labor can be found everywhere in the world and in a multitude of industries, and these industries are responsible for the many varieties of child labor. Also, throughout history, children have been used as a source of laborRead MoreChild Of A Soldier For The War1419 Words   |  6 PagesAt that time they very need people who is younger to be a soldier for the war. Every kid they teach them how to use the gun event they skull. Many nations they had do this to their people who live in that nation s. States it is not much of a problem mostly because here we have child labor laws. Child soldiers are not really a problem in the U.S because of our Labor laws. They have to do this too their child because they are pool, so they need to do this too le t their kid get out and find himselfRead MoreWhat Is Child Slavery?907 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is child slavery? This is the slavery of children right from a very young age, in which this young kids are forced into labor or all other conditions that are not suitable for a little child. The rights of this children are taken away while they are young and are forced to do different things against their will for which they are often not rewarded or underpaid. In their book Modern-Day Slavery 2008, Van de Glind and Kooijmans defined child slavery based on the two different strategies usedRead MoreRudyard Kipling s The Jungle Book1375 Words   |  6 PagesBook† is also an accused jingoist (Kipling, RudyardNobel Prize Winners). Rudyard Kipling was a European man born in Bombay India in 1865. Kipling was born during an age of British Imperialism in India (McNamara and Kipling, Rudyard Hutchinson Encyclopedia). He himself was rumored to be an imperialist for Britain. Throughout his lifetime Kipling lived in Britain, India, and the United States of America (Kipling, Rudyard World Authors). He used his many experiences from these areas to shape hisRead MoreThe Island Country Of Sri Lanka1226 Words   |  5 Pagesin contact with Tamil speakers from southern India since at least the second century BCE, but large amounts of Tamils started to appear in Sri Lanka between the seventh and eleventh centuries. When the island was first colonized by Britain, large plantations were settled on the island eventually being used for the production of tea and rubber. After the foundation of the cash crop plantations, approximately one million Tamil speakers from southern India were taken for plantation usage, using themRead MoreChild Soldiers And Children Under The Age Of 181419 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"For child soldiers, everyday is a living nightmare† (Chatterjee, 2012). Child soldiers are children under the age of 18 who are used in the military for any source of benefit. Child soldiers worldwide have become a huge issue, leading to many unnecessary deaths as well as lifelong mental trauma. According to â€Å"For Child Soldiers, Every Day is a Living Nightmare† 90% of the child soldiers in Liberia show post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as 65% showing depression post-war. DevelopingRead MoreEssay about The Horror that Are Child Soldiers1264 Words   |  6 Pagesthe world (Kaplan). These children a re called child soldiers. A child soldier is classified as a person enlisted in an army or militia that is under the age of eighteen. (11 Facts). They are recruited into armies for many different reasons and used for many different tasks. There are a number of countries that children are forced to fight in such as Columbia, Myanmar, Iraq, and many more (11 Facts/Kaplan). Children should not be forced to be soldiers in war because it puts young lives at risk. ChildrenRead MoreThe The Souls Of White Folks 1104 Words   |  5 PagesIndia was under imperialistic rule by the British Empire or the â€Å"Bristish Raj† from 1858 to 1947.The region under British control—commonly called â€Å"India† in the British period included areas directly administered by the United Kingdom as well as the â€Å"princely states† ruled by individual rulers under the paramount of the British throne. In my recent visit to London precious jewels and Indian made goods are displac ed in Windsor castle under high security. Most of the goods accumulated from India wereRead MoreKim As A Presentation Of The Issue1511 Words   |  7 Pagesprobably in the period 1893-98, after the Second Afghan war, which ended in 1881 but before the Third. The novel is interesting for its description of representation of the people, culture, languages and different religions of India. â€Å"The book presents a vivid picture of India, its teeming population, religions and superstitions, and the life of the bazaars and the roads†. Rudyard Kipling’s book Kim was written in the nineteenth century, on which the author’s opinions and abilities are based according

Benefits And Benefits Of Compensation Packages - 1182 Words

What is a compensation packages? Compensation packages are a group of different benefits that employees gain for employers. Compensation is needed for every business no matter what it is to be successful; I do not know anyone who would work for free. (â€Å"Cost-benefit analysis assesses the profitability of a financial endeavor by considering the present value of each cost and benefit. Present values are used under the assumption that money available now is worth more than money in the future. That is generally true in an economy with positive inflation, so values need to be discounted for this effect. Cost-benefit analysis use ratios for assessing the investment, but a positive cost-benefit ratio does not necessarily mean you have a positive expected return.†) (How to Determine Whether the Cost-Benefit Ratio Is Positive or Negative | Chron.com, 2015) Cost benefits are use to compare programs with many different units of programs. Cost- benefit ratio gives an indication stat ing if the benefits given outweighs the company. As far as cost benefit ratio this is what I found researching, (â€Å"A total of 148 patients acquired NI (88 before and 60 after the intervention). The Mantel-Haenszel stratified relative risk for NI in the period before the infection control program, compared with the postintervention period, was .61 (95% confidence interval: .53–.69). By applying the preintervention stratum-specific rates of infection to the days-at-risk in the postintervention period, anShow MoreRelatedEmployee Compensation And Benefits Packages Essay1245 Words   |  5 PagesEmployee Compensation and Benefits Organizations create compensation and benefits packages in order to attract the best talent. In today’s global economy it is imperative that organizations offer compensation packages that are competitive in order to recruit the very best talent in the world. However, in order to be successful, compensation packages must align with business strategies. Authors â€Å"Mathis, Jackson, and Valentine (2014) explain that an effective total rewards approach balances theRead MoreEmployee Compensation And Benefits Package Essay905 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction – Employee Compensation and Benefits This paper will outline an employee compensation and benefits package for a new hire for a secretary for the department. First, it will describe the organization I chose for designating a compensation package. Next, this paper will develop an employee compensation and benefits package for this new position. This paper will outline an employee compensation and benefits package for a new hire for a secretary for the department. First, it will describeRead MoreBenefits And Compensation Package Of Medtronic910 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction The assessment of the case study will analyze the benefits and compensation package of Medtronic. The validation of concerns will consider the importance of different employee demographics within the organization. Determination of issues that are most prominent based on the qualitative data. Key issues will also be identified based on employee satisfaction of the compensation package. The analysis will also include an external benchmarking of data from other companies within the industryRead MoreEmployee Compensation And Benefits Package944 Words   |  4 PagesEmployee Compensation and Benefits Package The organization for which I am designing the compensation package is a company that offers internet solution to customers in the domestic US market and the global market. The position that I am hiring is that of a company secretary. The secretary will be required to work in the office of the human resource manager and will handle all the papered and paperless documentation. The position comes with numerous benefits and packages as outlined herein. AfterRead MoreEmployee Compensation And Benefits Packages Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction In today’s competitive workforce, compensation and benefit packages plays a crucial role on recruitment and retention for both the organization and the employee. Bumpbie finds itself in a situation where it could positively affect its employee’s morale, turnover rate and longevity; by making a strategic decision to implement compensation and benefit packages that will encourage current workers to stay and entice new applicants. Money is not always the inherent reason businesses experienceRead MoreEmployee Compensation and Benefits Packages548 Words   |  2 PagesEmployee Compensation and Benefits Packages Introduction: A companys compensation and benefits package will likely be a great determinant of the quality of its personnel and the stake that these employees feel that they have in the hiring organization. This is why it is incumbent upon an organization to choose a compensation and benefits strategy that is at once consistent with internal values, needs and expectations and respects the external forces of industry standards, market context and geographicalRead MoreAn Effective Compensation And Benefits Package1248 Words   |  5 PagesWith an effective compensation and benefits package, the organization will see improvements to include quality employees. There will still be ample turnover, which is healthy for the business. Provided the package is reviewed and updated to be current and remains competitive, you will consistently draw upper echelon talent, and exceptional performers. Employee Training and Development In regards to training a strong, educated, and high-performance workforce, an up-to-date training plan that willRead MoreBenefits Of Compensation Packages At Analysts Compensation1935 Words   |  8 Pages The last but certainly not least significant way for a conflict of interest to arise with an analyst and his or her valuation is through that analyst’s compensation. The brokerage firms employing the analysts can take advantage of compensation packages to make analysts feel as if they are being shoved into a corner with little option but to only come up with buy-recommendations and optimistic research reports. Bonuses can be tied to the revenues brought in the the analyst’s employer, so decreasingRead MoreEffectively Managing Employee Compensation and Benefit Packages1289 Words   |  6 Pagesfor global organizations and the human resource department, is effectively managing employee compensation and benefits packages. Managing compensation structures has become an integral part of many organizations that conduct operations in the global market, as there are many considerations for the host country when sending expatriates abroad. It is imperative for organizations to develop global compensation structures that attract and retain quality employees while not impeding operations or diminishingRead MoreInsurance Is An Important Part Of An Organizations Compensation And Benefits Package1610 Words   |  7 PagesInsurance is an important part of an organization’s compensation and benefits package because it serves as a safeguard against uncertainty. Insurance is a way for an organization to take care of one of their most important assets, which is the employee. There are many types of insurance that can be included in an employee’s compensation and benefits package. Those that will be discussed here are term life insurance, whole life and universal life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance

Diary Of Anne Frank Essay Example For Students

Diary Of Anne Frank Essay 1.The Diary Of Anne Frank Essay by Anne Frank2.The setting of this book is an attic of a building in Amsterdam during the time period of 1942 to 1944.3.The historical period of this book is World War II. 4.Anne Frank was a young girl who is the author of this popular diary. She was thought of by others as conceited but didnt think so herself. She was in love with Peter Van Daan in the attic.Margot Frank was the older sister of Anne who was considered smarter and more adultlike than younger sister. Margot was also jealous of Anne because of Annes relationship with Peter. One such person was Margot. As Annes sister, she was very nice and didnt speak out and was very proper. The Franks werent the only ones in this attic, there were other people such as the Van Daans. Mr. Frank let them stay because they needed a place to hide and since they had helped him out so much in the past by actually teaching Mr. Frank German, he felt it was the least he could do. The Van Daans had a son which Anne later became interested in. Peter was the only person who Anne could understand and knew that Anne could understand him. They could both talk to each other freely when they were together. Dussel soon joined the group. He was only supposed to be up in the attic for a short time, but he ended up staying till the end. He had to leave his Dentistry to hide out from the Germans. These people would not of lasted too long without the help of Miep Gies and Mr. Kraler who gave them the necessities they needed to survive up in the attic for so long. All these people gave their own personality and views to add new dimensions to the play and make it more enjoyable. They all were believable by their realism and how they acted to certain situations. The play was about the conflicts and struggles two families living together for a long period of time seemed to get a bit crazy. In general, they were hiding from the Nazis. During their hiding out, Anne and Peter soon found a friendship between each other and started talking building up a relationship after about 2 years of nothing. This story was a prime example of what tons of families and different people had to live through during these hard times. The play demonstrated it the way it was as people who are nice and happy at the beginning and start to crumble as the years go by. Mr. Van Daan crumbled because he started stealing food while he knew his own son was close to starving. I thought this was a very interesting play about several groups of people and how they were able to survive up in the attic for about 4 years in the attic with almost only themselves. I think this is a good book for people who like suspense as in if Anne and everyone else gets caught ultimately in the end of the play. It also would be good for someone who was learning how Jews lived during the 1940s with the Germans as a threat to their freedom. .

Keys to Small Business Marketing

KEYS TO SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING Kimberly Smith, University of Houston Small Business Development CenterEach year, about 400,000 new small businesses open their doors to the economic landscape in their communities. But according to www.bloomberg.com, a whopping 80 percent of these new ventures will fail within the first 18 months. What’s the difference between one energetic, inspired entrepreneur with an idea that succeeds and a similar one who just can’t seem to get his or her business off the ground? To answer that question, I spoke with Kimberly Smith, director of marketing and publicity at the University of Houston Small Business Development Center. She shared her insights about strategic marketing tactics and how they help small businesses across all industries build their brand. â€Å"If you’re an entrepreneur with a great idea, and you’ve had big sales at opening that later tapered off, you might be experiencing a combination of problems,† said Smith. â€Å"When business owners come to me for advice, I tell them in order to be successful, they have to have a well-planned, well-researched marketing strategy.† According to Smith, if you’re a new or aspiring small business owner, there are five fundamental elements of a marketing strategy that will move you closer to achieving your business goals in the first year and beyond. Marketing Strategy Do’s: 1. DO identify your ideal target market for your product or service. It might be that everyone is your â€Å"target market,† but not everyone is ideal. Find out exactly who needs your service or product, who wants it, and who can afford it. Do lots of research, and find out exactly who fills those three categories. â€Å"For example, when Apple started marketing their computers, they knew they wouldn’t be appealing to the cheapest consumers, so they used a different approach to marketing,† Smith said. â€Å"They advertised (their product) as a ‘work of art’ that would appeal specifically to people who would appreciate art — like graphic designers, illustrators, innovators, musicians. That made the market much smaller and easier to target.† 2. DO figure out How to reach your ideal target market. Where are the people who need, want, and can afford what you’re selling? How can you get the word out to them? â€Å"The best way to answer these questions is to do a lot of research,† Smith said. â€Å"So, if your ideal target market is professional women between the ages of 30-40, the next step is to figure out where they purchase. Online? In brick and mortar stores? Do they listen to certain TV or radio shows?† Smith said that pinpointing the specific buying behaviors of your target market will lead you to the most effective places to spend your advertising dollars. Follow up with social media. â€Å"Figure out which social media platform is the best fit for your product, and start posting there,† Smith said. â€Å"It takes time and effort, but it pays off.† Helpful Hint: Call a TV or radio station, or a community newspaper — any publication that posts a website with banner ads. Tell them you’re looking at their ads, and explain which market you’re trying to reach with your product or service. They can tell you exactly who their ads will connect with, so you’ll know if your advertising money will be well spent there or if you need to keep looking. Free Advice: â€Å"The librarian here at the Small Business Development Center at the University of Houston will run a competitive marketing analysis free of charge for any small business owner,† Smith said. â€Å"She’ll help you figure out the trends so you can market more effectively in your particular industry.† 3. DO use surveys. If you’re in business, you have access to people. It’s always a good idea to ask them questions about your products and services. â€Å"Even if you’re still at pre-venture stage and you don’t have actual customers yet, survey your friends and family,† Smith said. â€Å"Ask them if they think the price points you’ve set are acceptable. Get as much feedback as you can about that.† Ask how often they might need or want the product or service you’re selling, and how they tend to receive information about new products — online, social media, flyers in the mailbox? â€Å"That’s extremely useful information for your new business,† Smith said. For new businesses that have already opened, Smith suggested a by-invitation-only special party consisting of a specific focus group of guests. â€Å"If you’ve opened, you can use your own place to bring customers in after hours, let them know how much you appreciate them, and ask them to answer a few survey questions,† she said. â€Å"The feedback you’ll get from this is invaluable.† 4. DO claim and maintain your online presence. Too often, business owners believe their online profile ends at their website. â€Å"If you want to succeed, you need to get beyond your website and set up profiles on Yelp, Google, the Yellow Pages, and Google Plus,† Smith said. â€Å"Claim them. Take control of your online profile. Make sure all of them convey a consistent message about your business, and all the details are correct across all of them — your selling proposition, your business hours, your contact information.† That also will positively affect your search engine optimization (SEO), which is essential for targeting your customers and driving traffic to your website. â€Å"It helps to be at the top of the page when someone is searching for a business that has your products or services,† Smith said. â€Å"All the information should match. It’s surprising how many inconsistencies there are from site to site with basic information like store hours. That’s confusing to the customers. Your pages should be constantly monitored and maintained.† 5. DO create a marketing plan using these elements. Smith said small business owners don’t always understand what she means when she tells them how important it is to create a marketing plan, but it just means pulling together the four previous points. â€Å"It’s just a way to make sure you’re finding your target audience, you’ve identified your unique selling points, and you’ve set goals with a plan to achieve them,† she said. â€Å"You’re not just selling. You’ve got an efficient, clear plan in place, and you’re progressing toward your goal.† Marketing Strategy Don’ts: Not only should new business owners take an active role in planning and implementing their marketing strategy, they also should be wary of traps that can undermine their efforts. When entrepreneurs run out of money, it’s often because they’re overconfident, their marketing message doesn’t connect with consumers, or they underestimate the need to keep up digitally. Smith said the following poor practices are a recipe for new business failure. 1. DON’T make assumptions. If a business owner assumes his product or service is so great that everyone will buy it, he’s in for a big disappointment, Smith said. â€Å"This shows a real lack of focus and research into the ideal target market. Let people try your product or service for free and get feedback. That tactic usually works very well and teaches the owner a lot about how people are receiving his product or service.† 2. DON’T design your own logo or own website. Brand image is everything, and if it’s not on par with your competitors’, your target customer base will not take you seriously. â€Å"Unless you’re a trained graphic designer, hire a professional to do your logo and your website,† Smith said. â€Å"People often think cheapest is best, but the smart thing is to set aside the money you need to get a good website and logo, and hire a very reputable person to do them.† 3. DON’T create too many social media profiles. It’s better to have one or two well-maintained social media profiles that fit your business than to have a lot of profiles that don’t get any traffic. â€Å"Your ideal target market can’t necessarily be reached on all social media platforms,† Smith said. â€Å"It’s impossible to keep posting on multiple social media pages, so choose one or two that match your products and services and post regularly. Don’t get on Pinterest if you’ve got a business or service that doesn’t apply.† Hint: When the last post on a social media page is from a year ago, it could imply that you’re no longer in business, which causes customers to look elsewhere. 4. DON’T ignore bad reviews. When customers leave a bad review on Yelp or Google, don’t think it won’t affect you. â€Å"When people search for your business, those reviews will come up,† Smith said. â€Å"Negative reviews deter people from your business, whether they’re true or not.† She said it’s best to reply to each bad review and apologize for failing to meet expectations. Then offer something to make it right with the customer. 5. DON’T rely on referrals or word of mouth. You work hard to earn a good reputation and have your clients tell their friends about you, but relying on them to do that is another trap that can lead to failure. â€Å"It’s the ‘if I build it, they will come’ theory,† Smith said. â€Å"If you create a marketing plan and remain consistent, you do a good job with your customers, and you get lots of referrals and good word of mouth, imagine how well you’d do with advertising,† she said. â€Å"Advertising expands your customer base. If you’re already doing well, advertising will help you go beyond referrals and word of mouth. You can make enough money to hire more employees and go sit on the beach!† BIO Kimberly Smith has nearly 20 years of experience in marketing and public relations. With the direction of the executive director, she is principally responsible for the marketing of the Texas Gulf Coast Small Business Development Center Network, the largest economic development program of the University of Houston System. Smiths vast experience in strategic marketing has helped businesses, large and small; build brands across a variety of industries. She has produced award-winning campaigns on national and international accounts such as JC Penney, Basset Furniture Industries, Harland Clarke and CHRISTUS Health. Smith is an avid photographer, foodie, and Texas Aggie football fan.

The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks

The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks Last week I wrote an article about quotation marks, and I did not cover the topic of their overuse. Quotation marks are often used to emphasize a word when they are grammatically unnecessary or incorrect. Thankfully, another blogger has taken on the gallant task of locating errant quotation marks so that I can take a rest on this one. I just had to share!   the blog of unnecessary quotation marks Also note: Using single quotation marks is also not grammatically correct, unless you are quoting something within a quote. For instance: Grandma always used to say, I live every day by the words, A stitch in time saves nine.' Single quotation marks simply dont belong anywhere else. And thus concludes Part 2 of the Quotation Mark Quandary.